


You're An Accident Waiting To Happen (And You've Already Lit Me Up)

by elbatross



Series: We won't agree on snow or flame, but we'll agree on love [3]
Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Movie Fusion, Fae & Fairies, M/M, Making Out, Miserverse, Pain, Pining, Romance, accidental arson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-19
Updated: 2012-12-19
Packaged: 2017-11-21 14:47:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/598961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elbatross/pseuds/elbatross
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes just working for the Heat Miser means that your chances at romance suck. Alex has had first hand experience with that, much to his misfortune.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You're An Accident Waiting To Happen (And You've Already Lit Me Up)

**Author's Note:**

> This is the story I've been most looking forward to writing in this universe since mentioning it in the first work. It's not important to have read the first one to understand what's going on here as long as you know that Alex works under Erik as a fire imp.

Those under the jurisdiction of the Heat Miser seemed to have the worst luck when it came to romance, contrary to popular belief. It wasn't so hard to believe considering the time Erik had wooing Charles, and yet one would think that others would have it a little easier.

Alex of Perpetual Summer would beg to differ if anyone were ever to ask him. It was particularly difficult when the object of his affections could possibly burn beneath his fingertips on the wrong day. Armando was strong and tall like many of the nymphs of the forest, but a great deal hardier as far as Alex could tell. The sweltering heat of the summer was hardly a problem for him, and while all the others of his kind retreated to the river to gather water to chill their toes and preserve their leaves, ArArmandotood guard and tended to the trees without so much as a little transpiration.

Were it not for prior knowledge being provided for him, Alex would have sworn that the nymph was part cactus. No, Armando of common wood heritage, just a little more fortunate to be able to stand the heat than others, and it was that simple fact that gave Alex hope that maybe there would be shared interest between the two. So day after day from the earliest hint of spring until the latest day of warmth Erik could stand to keep them around, Alex spent part of his day milling about around the forest and browned the grass with his footsteps with the hope that maybe, just maybe, Armando would like to speak with him again. Unfortunately for him, his social skills were just slightly better than his bosses, meaning he panicked and shied away whenever the nymph so much as glanced his way in an attempt to hide his overheated, guilty face. He was sure that his chances were ruined anyhow after a certain incident between them, and that if anything Armando would rather he stopped coming around his forest.

That'd been long ago, years and years back, but he remembered it vividly. He'd just started out as one of the many fire imps employed by the Heat Miser and it was his first spring out. His task was simple: thaw out the buds on the trees gently and wake the nymphs who were still in hibernation. Erik had barely trusted him after the turtle neck incident that morning, but gave him a second chance when Alex accidentally woke a hedgehog and sent Charles into a delighted and talkative mood. He thanked Mother Earth for that small favor and proudly set out to do his job, trying not to singe anything. A few flowers were a touch wilted on the end of their petals from an indelicate touch, but with a little practice Alex was sure that he wouldn't harm any of the nymphs or the trees they guarded. He headed further into the woods in search of the resting guardians, ready to wake them with a touch of spring's first warmth.

A few of the younger nymphs were already awake (as Erik really didn't trust him to not accidentally scorch the delicate beings), the little buds on their bodies a tender green as they flitted here and there. Alex kept his distance as he passed them, starting to brush his fingers against the older ones as he went. They woke beneath his touch with yawns and grumbles, but they thanked him regardless and began to tend to the children. Things looked to be going well this first time out, and a few of the lovlier ones graced his warm cheeks with affectionate pats and pecks, sending a few of them into bloom. He was feeling pretty damn good about his abilities at that point, and for all he knew he just had one more to wake before his job was done for the day.

He really hadn't counted on Armando being, well, Armando. Simply put, when the young imp finally came across him, his hands started to inexplicably sweat. He was startled by the reaction, sure that Raven or Emma was about to make their coolness condense on his palms, but to his surprise that wasn't the case. It was nothing more than a simple reaction to the sheer beauty of a single nymph of the forest even after a day with nearly the entire population of the race. Alex was careful in his approach, trying his best to keep from overheating so as not to harm the man, but it was terribly hard to keep his fire under control in the moment. All he could focus on was the intricate curl of vines down the nymph's strong arms and how peaceful he seemed to be while sleeping. He was finally close enough to curl his hand on one of is shoulders and give a gentle shake, seeping heat into him and watch everything slowly start to bloom, when the nymph opened his eyes and smiled up at him.

"Hey, thanks. Wow, you're pretty warm." All it took after that was a smile and Alex's whole body went up in flames. So did Armando's.

There was much flailing to be had and a lot of panic, Alex running and cursing himself for most likely killing a nymph on his most important and first job ever just because he was flustered over how attractive the guy was. He hid until the commotion in the forest had settled, someone having gotten this "Armando" fellow to some water and started tending to his wounds. Hushed whispers spread through the forest about an attempt made on their head guardian's life, while others (rightfully) blamed the imp who'd been haphardly burning the grass around their home for the incident. Alex fled to his home and hid until Erik returned from his long day of work, prepared for a scolding that never came. Erik seemed to think that his guilt was punishment enough.

Word got out later in the season that Armando was recovering nicely, and in the summer Alex decided to have just one last peek to check up on him. He'd considered bringing a gift to apologize, but he was certain that if any of the nymphs caught sight of him, he'd be strung up until Erik could come rescue him. Instead, he watched Armando tend to small and injured animals from a distance, still charred and wounded from Alex's fire yet still gentle and handsome in his own right. Alex sighed, and from then on he spent the better part of his year swooning over the head wood nymph of the forest who probably hated his guts for nearly killing him.

Time passed, and eventually he gained better control over his fire and had less accidents with anything not belonging to Erik. He still wasn't trusted to wake the nymphs, as they'd never forgotten the whole ordeal, but he was allowed back into the forest from time to time to wake the small animals from hibernation after a long winter. It wasn't such a bad thing, he'd decided, and it put Erik in a better mood because Charles would suddenly perk up and steal his attention away. And if Armando happened to accidentally come across Alex being gentle with the other creatures he guarded, then maybe he could be forgiven and they could start over. Alas, he knew better than to keep his hopes up, and once everything was up and around, he made his path far shorter to keep the nymphs from getting too suspicious.

Once he'd managed to go and see Armando's patron tree, but he'd never been again after seeing the damage he'd caused to it. Leaves grew from it's branches, but far less than any other tree in the forest. The bark was cracked deeply in some places and rotted in others, the whole thing looking ill even though it was still standing. Seeing it had made Alex sick to his stomach. It was him who'd caused so much damage to it's owner, and in turn had caused it to fight to cling to life. He did notice after a quick glance that it appeared to require less water and sunlight compared to the other trees, even with it's towering height and damage, which reminded him that Armando wasn't as weak as he'd assumed. No matter what sort of damage he'd inflicted, the nymph had still managed to bounce back from it and retain his title and strength. Alex had a little more hope for his cause and continued to watch from afar, trying to formulate a plan to speak with Armando.

It was a few years before Erik finally won Charles over that Alex made amends with Armando, but the outcome was far from what Alex could have predicted happening. He expected them to speak and come to an understanding before never associating again, and instead ended up under Armando's tree laughing about one thing or another while drinking faery mead until night. Armando had approached him while he was thawing out a stream for a few does to drink from, quietly tapping his shoulder and offering him a broad grin.

"I've seen you hanging about the woods a lot over the past few decades. It's a shame you don't come by to say hi more often...Alex, right? Sorry, I've heard Erik muttering from time to time," Armando chuckled, admiring the pink flush traveling up Alex's neck as he nodded. "What, are you afraid? You've got nothing to fear, I don't have thorns or anything and I promise not to kidnap you and throw you to the others to rip apart. I don't have hard feelings about whatever happened, you were young and it was an accident, right?" Alex tried to swallow the knot in his throat before speaking.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry, I really didn't mean to do that. I feel like an ass about it, running off when I almost killed you. I, uh, saw your tree too. Sorry for that, man, I know how important those are to nymphs and I totally ruin-" He stopped speaking at the hand over his mouth, slightly warm from soaking up the heat waves he was projecting. Armando still smiled at him, shaking his head.

"I told you, that was a while back, and you didn't need to. You've been beating yourself up about it long ago, and I'm still alive, right? My tree's not as sick as you'd think, and if you want me to prove it to you then you should come hang out with me tonight. The fae are having a celebration and there'll be lots to drink. I'm sure Erik'll be sulking about in his cave because it's too hot for Charles to come play, so you'll want to be out anyway. Come on." Alex tamped down his smoldering long enough for Armando to drag him off by the hand to his tree. From there, they spent the night drinking and dancing until they were too tired for more, when they then switched to drinking and telling stories in the setting sun. It wasn't until Alex felt coarse fingers stroking through his hair as he told a story about Erik melting Charles' favorite cardigan that he realized he was partially sprawled in Armando's lap and glowing brighter than the fireflies. Moths settled into the nymph's hair in an attempt to get closer to the light source.

"What are you doing?" He stilled, glancing up at the man above him.

"What does it look like? You've got soft hair, like a rabbit or something. It's warm too." The petting continued. "You've gotten much better at controlling that, Alex. It's nice to see that you've grown up from that nervous imp I met so long ago. Suits this face of yours quite well." Alex was partially shocked and terribly confused.

"Wait a minute," he prostested, bolting up to sit and quickly glance over the man before him. "I nearly killed you, Armando, don't you get that?! I set you on fire the first time we met and you suddenly want to flirt with someone like that?" He was starting to heat up again, thankful that he'd moved away from Armando before there was a repeat of before.

"You didn't mean to, it just happened. And I'm far stronger than what you think, Alex. I'm the guardian of this forest, a little fire from an overexcited imp won't take me down so easily. You're not the first to start one in these woods, and you certainly won't be the last, but you are the only one to feel so bad about it that you try to make amends in the best way that you can." Armando moved closer, just enough to move one of the imp's hands to his knee before placing his own on top of it. "The tree will heal, and it has been ever since. A blaze that direct did cause quite a bit of damage, but it also made it stronger. I can handle a little more than I did before, and the heat of the summer is nothing compared to what it used to feel like. That means I can offer a little of the water I would usually need to keep my tree sustained to the younger ones and still keep full foliage. If anything, you've helped me out, and I'd like to thank you for that." He smiled again, this time the expression a little more sultry as he looped an arm around Alex's back and pulled him to straddle in his lap. 

"I-I really don't think I deserve this. Even if I did help you, I doubt that whatever you want to give me is something I've earned." He licked his lips and shivered just a little, a breezy flitting through the trees rustling the leaves and putting him on edge. He watched Armando's lips and bit his own momentarily. "Besides, if you do, won't your leaves wilt and fall off? W-wouldn't want that when you've just gotten them to...to...ah, screw it!" Alex remembered that he probably wouldn't have another chance like this with both of them so willing and a little drunk off one another more than any mead, surging forward to lock lips with Armando. He was careful with his hands until they were positioned to loop around the nymph's neck with a little help, allowing him to concentrate more on the kiss. Armando had a naturally sweet taste, not seeming to mind when Alex suckled gently on his tongue experimentally to figure out what it may be. It kept him busy enough to not mind his shirt being pushed up to expose flushed skin to cooler air and allow rough fingers to trace down it. Alex groaned and broke the kiss, looking a little ruffled and embarrassed.

"I promise I won't give you splinters, if that's what's worrying you." Armando kissed the line of Alex's collarbone. "And if it's all the same to you, when fall comes around, I wouldn't mind it you were the cause of my leaves wilting off. Better for it to happen all at once than to bald slowly, honestly. You don't know how tired I am of hearing all the girls whine about it." At that, Alex gave a relieved laugh, curling closer to Armando and holding onto him as they shifted to embrace. He felt warm and content for once, a little more in able to handle his heat when in such a good mood, which meant that he wouldn't hurt Armando. Everything could work this time around and he could actually have something he wanted without screwing up, and that was progress. 

"Only you, then. They have to suffer through. Sorry man, but I only owe one nymph a favor and Erik would kick my ass if I abused my powers any more than that to impress someone. Hypocrite." A hand went to his hair again and he shuffled closer to tuck himself under Armando's chin. 

"Let's not worry about that, Alex. We've got the whole summer and most of the fall to ourselves, and after wasting all this time chasing after one another we shouldn't waste any more."

"Wait, what do you mean 'chasing after each other?' I didn't see you following after me or anything." The stroking stilled before starting up again.

"Who do you think points the animals to their hibernation spots? I practically set up a path for you to follow every year so that I can watch you do your work. You're particularly fond of chipmunks and squirrels, probably because you're so busy looking to see if they lead you to my tree that you hardly notice I'm not far behind." It was a simple statement that once again left Alex grumbling and too warm, but made him that much fonder of Armando. Night finally arrived, too cool for Alex's liking this early in the summer, and it was time to part. Before he could take his leave, a bit of charcoal was eased into his palm, threaded on a leather cord.

"What's this for?" He looked it over carefully.

"Control. You're still struggling with it, right? That's from my tree, and it'll burn easily if it's set on fire. Whenever you feel too overwhelmed, I want you to wear it and try to keep it from burning up. I'm here to help so that you don't have another accident with someone else. Not everyone is going to be as strong as I am, and you don't need that kind of guilt weighing you down again." Alex considered his offer before pulling him into a hug.

"Thanks man, really." He pulled away just a little to steal another kiss before departing, the charcoal cradled in his fist as a good luck charm. This was one of the highlights of his job, no matter how difficult his occupation made it for romantic relationships. It came with the territory, he supposed, and like fire he had to be able to manage it before he almost killed someone again. This time, he tried not to screw up as best as he could.

That didn't change how easy it was for him to piss off Erik, but he already expected that there was nothing he or Armando could do about his boss. He suspected it had something to do with their impossible relationship working out versus his situation with Charles. Armando promised to offer help with that before Alex tried to set the rest of Erik's wardrobe on fire.


End file.
